Inheritance
by NecromanticHarbinger
Summary: AU. The others, the ones before; they were better. At least, he thought so. The host is the representation of the beast inside, or at least, that's how he saw it. He would NOT have a weak host. If that meant taking matters into his own hands? So be it. Starts at the end of the Wave Arc. Shakuton!Mangekyō!Fūinjutsu!Chakra-Chains!Naru. NaruIno.
1. Prologue

**INHERITANCE, a Naruto fanfiction**

**AU. The others, the ones before; they were better. At least, he thought so. The host is the representation of the beast inside, or at least, that's how he saw it. He would NOT have a weak host. If that meant taking matters into his own hands? So be it. Starts at the end of the Wave Arc. Shakuton!Mangekyō!Fūinjutsu!Chakra-Chains!Naru. NaruIno.**

**Pairings:**

***NarutoxIno**

***KibaxTayuya**

***ShikamaruxTemari**

***NejixKin**

*** KankurōxTenTen**

***ChōjūrōxHinata**

***ChōjixShiho**

***GaaraxKurotsuchi**

***AsumaxKurenai**

***IrukaxAnko**

***Eventual SasukexSamui**

***Eventual KakashixYūgao**

***Past MadaraxMito**

***Other, as of yet unestablished pairings & OC pairings (for ancestry)**

**Author's Note:**

**For starters, NO, the Kyūbi will NOT be granting Naruto the Mangekyō Sharingan. Get that ugly thought out of your heads. He WILL be granting the Fūinjutsu knowledge and Chakra Chains abilities, as well as strengthening his chakra. The Sharingan and MS will be a genetic fluke due to a fortunate mixture of DNA from both sides of his family. Where the Uchiha Clan come in with regards to his genetics will be revealed in time, as well as how he can use Shakuton. As for when he awakens the MS… that should be obvious.**

**Also, I can confirm that Naruto WILL be receiving further power-ups at later intervals. The source and nature of these power-ups will be revealed at said intervals, although you're welcome to take a crack at it now, if you wish. They're fairly obvious, given what is already stated in the description. And before you ask, no, Naruto isn't going to start spamming Amaterasu everywhere. In fact, *HINT* his Mangekyō can't even generate the flames. Will he be able to do so after a power-up? Hmm...**

**For those wondering what will be going on with the Kyūbi's influence, the extent of the machinations of everyone's favourite fox will be revealed fairly quickly. Its reasons are also fairly obvious, but will be elaborated on for clarity in the next chapter or so.**

**As it stands, the intentions for the fanfiction will be STRICTLY NaruIno. NOTE: Pairings mentioned above may be liable to change with the exception of the SasuSamu and KakaYuga. If enough support for a NaruHarem is present, I may change it, but Ino will definitely be one of the girls in the Harem if the conversion to a Harem-fic is made. Also note, the Harem will be 5 girls max, and they will all be around his age. Regardless, this is only if there is enough support.**

**Now, for those people curious to how closely Naruto will be related to Itachi and Sasuke, I will reiterate that Naruto's ancestry has already been plotted out, and will be revealed in due time. I can hint that Naruto is not the first in his line to achieve the Mangekyō, however. I will point out that I subscribe to the following ideas that many fanfics revolve around:**

**1) Fugaku was always heir to the clan, prior to becoming Clan Head - Mikoto's father, who in this fic will be Uchiha Kagami, will be an Uchiha orphan left at the clan compound not long after Konoha's founding. The reason/origin of this will be revealed in time.**

**2) Mikoto and Shisui will be siblings.**

**3) Obito is Mikoto and Shisui's first cousin, and all three shall be descended from Madara, but unaware of such 'illustrious' heritage; at least, initially.**

**As it stands, I have planned Naruto's family out back to three of his four great-grandparents, and a little further for some of them, whilst the other great-grandparent (Kushina's mother, to be precise) is still in planning. I can reveal that the as-of-yet-uncompleted familial line is where his Shakuton comes from. His ability to use Shakuton is also more of a fluke than even his Sharingan, and will be revealed later than his other abilities.**

**Now, since I know this can be a major sticking point for some people - yes, Minato will be of Senju descent. However, that only goes as far back as his grandmother, and asides from that there is no other Senju blood in Naruto's entire familial line.**

**I've noticed that the length of time-skips tends to change between authors, as many people like an older, more mature Naruto in their fanfictions. I can already admit he's going to get taller over the 3-years than he did in Canon, simply because I think Naruto deserves height. Regardless, the overall length of any time-skips in-fic is currently uncertain. It matters little, anyway, because I am a firm believer that the best way to find a legitimate reason to extend a time-skip is to simply kill off whichever jinchūriki holds the bijū with the same number of tails as the number of years you want in your timeskip. Oh, and while I'm at it, I will say this - I'm one of those people that believe that each tail on a bijū signifies an additional year to how long it will take them to reform after 'death'.**

**Last, but not least - this will effectively be a Super!Naru fanfiction, and after his final power-up he will be effectively as close to God!Naru as he can. However, given recent events in Canon, this may be a good (and highly necessary) thing... *sweatdrop***

**Update: Even though its only been a day, I felt I needed to fix/change a thing or two, and there was a mistake made in the 'Uchiha Facts' area above that has been rectified. Besides that, nothing has changed, and Chapter 1 is in the works!**

**Now, without further ado, COMMENCE READING!**

* * *

Gatō, head of the multimillion-ryō Gatō Corporation, was a shrewd businessman, a skilled barterer, and most importantly an incredibly greedy individual. Most of those who did business with him knew to take all his sales, deals, and suggestions with a pinch of salt, for his fixation with monetary-gain was as notorious as Senju Tsunade's non-existent gambling skills. Self-betterment was his aspiration, and he cared not for the people he stepped on along his path to greatness. _'Better them than me'_, he once said to an orphanage matron begging for handouts.

Gatō does not give 'handouts'.

It should not be surprising that even his own mother shared the belief that if he were given an inch, he'd take a mile. Her faith in Gatō's depravity held true when he sold her into slavery, as was his wont.

Due to Gatō's under-handed business tactics and dedication to selfish gain, he rarely paid out money to other parties, bar trustworthy investments and the basic salaries for his goons. When Gatō hired nukenin Momochi Zabuza, the general consensus amongst afore-mentioned goons was that the days of the notorious 'Demon of the Mist' were numbered. They knew, of course, that they would be the ones to do the deed itself, but they also knew that Gatō would reward them after the deed was done with as much sake as they could want, and as many women as they could bed.

Thus we find Gatō, leading his 'hired hands' to the as of now unnamed, and also unfinished bridge between Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, preparing to double-cross Zabuza and maybe kill a few Konoha-nin in the process.

Little did they know that this day, at their very destination, a legend who would revolutionise the shinobi system would emerge.

* * *

At the bridge, Team Kakashi was currently facing their second true life-or-death fight as shinobi. As Sakura desperately tried to defend the bridge-builder, Tazuna and silently prayed for her teammates' success, her teacher Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy Ninja, was battling the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist', Momochi Zabuza. They battled in ninjutsu, taijutsu and kenjutsu, and found themselves rather heavily-matched.

The most intriguing fight, however, was the one between Haku, last of Kirigakure's Yuki clan, and Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Haku's use of Hyōton ninjutsu was too much for Sasuke and Naruto to bear, and both were riddled with senbon. Their movements were becoming progressively more sluggish, and Naruto was currently semi-conscious on the ground, having received blows to multiple pressure-points that would normally render a shinobi catatonic. Fortunately, as both jinchūriki, and a maternal descendent of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto was highly resilient to such attacks, not that he knew that was why, of course.

The fake-oinin was positioned within his Makyō Hyōshō, holding senbon to rain a constant fire of the small metal weapons at his targets. He watched as the raven-haired one scanned the mirrors attentively, searching for an indicator as to which held the original, and where the next attack may come from. "You… move well…" Haku commented, both pleasing and confusing Sasuke with the hint of admiration in the voice. "Regardless…" the Hyōton user continued, "this time I'll stop you."

'_Your body, reflexes, ability to react… you should already be at your limit…'_ Haku thought as he prepared more senbon for another barrage. He noted that the kind boy he met mere days earlier in a clearing rose also, standing himself beside his comrade. "He's coming!" he heard the orange-clad shinobi exclaim, and the Yuki once again found himself questioning how exactly the blond-haired boy passed whatever examination was required for promotion to genin in Konoha.

"Shh!" the raven hissed lowly, as both drew a kunai. "Calm down, concentrate and see through it, dobe!" Naruto nodded and both trained their eyes on the mirrors in preparation for the next barrage, ignoring their own beaten, bloodied forms. As Haku launched the senbon, both boys dodged to the right at the last moment, the blond being nicked slightly but otherwise free of any newly-acquired injuries.

'_They saw it?! No way!'_ the fake-oinin internally protested, shocked and confused at the pair's reaction. As the two lifted their faces, Haku found himself gazing into the eyes of the Sharingan. Or rather, to be more accurate, _two sets_ of Sharingan, one with a collective three tomoe, and the other with two between them. _'Those eyes… it can't be… the Sharingan?!'_

Naruto was confused as to how he could suddenly see so easily, and looked over to Sasuke, only to gasp. "Sasuke, you awoke your Sharingan!" Naruto exclaimed, completely unaware of the change in his own eyes, bar the noticeable increase in the clarity of his vision. The blond Uzumaki saw his teammate turn his head with a smirk, only for aforementioned Uchiha to stop dead and do a double-take.

'_How…?'_ Sasuke thought in shock, completely unsure as to how he should react in this situation. Suddenly, he was snapped out of his shock by the voice of the oinin, which was really starting to _get on his nerves_.

"Ah, so you two are also bearers of an advanced bloodline… no matter," the black-haired figure trailed off as he launched the senbon, Naruto being caught by several more due to a moment of confusion regarding the figure's words. Sasuke, meanwhile managed to dodge. _'How does the dobe have the Sharingan? Don't tell me he's… family?'_ Sasuke wondered.

The idea seemed foreign to the last Uchiha – _'Not-so-last, now'_ , he mused idly. After spending so many years of his life alone, knowing that the only living family he could have now – _'Itachi does not count. He will NEVER count, not again!'_ his mind insisted – would be ones he fathered and raised himself. And, honestly, that was a little further-down on his priorities list, right now. Killing the bastard came first. But… maybe he wouldn't be as alone as he thought, now…

'_Wha- what did he mean, _two_ of us? I'm not… I'm not…'_ Naruto wondered in confusion as his body gave out momentarily from the damage sustained once again. He heard the figure speak again, and his eyes widened in panic as he saw the figure race out of the mirror directly across from him and hurl senbon at him, most likely to strike him in the eyes – an instant kill.

Sasuke, with his Sharingan employed, was having similar thoughts. As time seemed to slow down, he ran for Naruto as the masked figure shot at the blond-haired… Uchiha? Hmm… perhaps… Regardless, Sasuke had only just gotten some form of family back, and he'd be damned if he lost it this quickly. _'At Naruto… Damn, make it in time!'_

Running to intercept the attack, Sasuke was left with little option but to throw himself between the oncoming attack and his teammate.

* * *

Holding a hand against his bleeding chest wound, Kakashi panted as he stared at Momochi Zabuza, slightly panicked. "Ugh…"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in horror as the bridge-builder, Tazuna watched on with terrified eyes. Seeing the figure of a mildly-bloodied Zabuza not metres away from her, Sakura couldn't help but feel weak at the knees as panic wracked her soul. The visage of the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' was truly living up to its moniker; or at least, in her mind, anyway.

"You were too late, Kakashi…" Zabuza mocked in his raspy voice which spent cold shivers down their spines. "Did your desire to save these brats cloud your mind and make this mist thicken further?" he idly wondered, inwardly smirking at the fear he invoked in the two Konoha-nin and their client, his target.

"Even with that impressive eye, your ability to read my movements is dimming…" Zabuza trailed off, once more fixing his voice in a mocking drawl. "Hehehe, let me enjoy this more, Kakashi… I want more fun as I return the favour… Don't worry about yours brats; Haku has probably already killed them," Zabuza commented, sadistic mirth twinkling in his eyes as he saw Kakashi's jaw tighten beneath the man's mask. "Oh, don't worry, Hatake. I'm sending you to the same place they're going… so you'll get to apologise for being too weak to protect them!" he shouted as Kakashi and Tazuna stared in shock at the sickening degree of blood-thirsty glee in the man's slightly-manic eyes.

Sakura, in her anger at the man's words, drew unnecessary attention to herself. "NO WAY!" she shrieked. "SASUKE-KUN WON'T BE DEFEATED BY A GUY LIKE THAT SO EASILY! SAME FOR NARUTO!" she continued as her 'inner-self' shouted its agreement.

"Exactly…" Kakashi agreed, shocking Zabuza with the certainty in his voice. "I believe in their strength," the Copy-Ninja continued with a solid stare at the 'Demon', daring the man to disagree. "Naruto's unshakeable determination and drive… and Sasuke's heritage as the last of one of Konoha's most prominent clans…"

Zabuza stiffened in shock. Remembering the time he saw the boy, he realised he may have made a fatal mistake in sending Haku against the raven. "You mean…" he trailed off uncertainly, rather terrified of the conclusions his mind was making. _Of course_ he'd heard of the _single survivor_…

"Yeah…" Kakashi affirmed, "His name is Uchiha Sasuke, a genius ninja with the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan running through his veins."

"An offspring of that tragic clan…" Zabuza halted, realising things he should have seen _sooner_. Kami-dammit. _'No wonder he's been progressing so quickly…'_ he continued his train of thought as he made hand signs. "But that's the same case as Haku, then; there's never been a case of the Makyō Hyōshō failing," Zabuza announced as he vanished into the mist once more.

"He disappeared again!" Sakura exclaimed, stating the obvious. Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and inwardly promised to introduce his kunioichi genin to his friend Kurenai. Or maybe Anko…

Right, not the time.

"Sakura, stay here. It's about time I finished this fight," Kakashi ordered as he bounded out into the mist, not even bothering to listen to his student's reply. He vaguely saw what he thought to be the outline of Zabuza through the mist and spoke up. "You seem… to think I survived in the shinobi system with naught but my Sharingan, Zabuza. But, I am afraid I'm a former, trained member of the **Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (1)**, so I'll show you the ninja I used to be. Instead of copying jutsu… I'll show you my own!" Kakashi declared with certainty, inwardly hoping that his genin were faring well against their foe, and deciding that they would all need to get some training done once this mission was over.

* * *

Naruto stared in shock at the scene around him, its image burned into his brain forever thanks to the photographic memory the Sharingan provided. In front of him, Sasuke stood slumped forwardly slightly, his body ridden with senbon, as he panted heavily. Across from them, Haku was collapsed on the ground in pain, having borne the brunt of Sasuke's counter-attack.

"Tch, dobe… You're always getting in the way," Sasuke remarked as he slumped backwards slightly, Naruto catching his body as it fell, staring in shock at the blood and the sheer _number_ of sharp, pointy implements sticking out of the Last Uchiha's downed form.

"Sasuke… you…?" _'Why?'_

"What's with that face, you moron?" Sasuke smirked weakly as Naruto gaped at the raven, uncomprehending of how events escalated to this point. _'Why would he save me?'_ Naruto inwardly wondered. "Pft. I hated you…" Sasuke continued hoarsely, already feeling his body giving way to the blood loss and poison on the senbon.

"But… but…" Naruto trailed off weakly, until his anger spiked. "WHY?! I EVER ASKED FOR YOU HELP, TEME!" Naruto raged, his mind refusing to accept this scene despite the fact that he could _feel_ it being burned into his memory, forevermore.

"I… don't know…" Sasuke trailed off uneasily, his face scrunched up in the very epitome of pain. "My body… moved on its own," he continued. "Idiot." He commented, as Naruto gazed on in shock. "That man… my brother… I swore I wouldn't die until I killed him. But now… you're here. Avenge our clan, for me, please…" he coughed up blood, chuckling weakly. "You better attain your dream… dobe…"

And with that, Uchiha Sasuke died.

"He landed a heavy blow on me, and died for you without even flinching… he is truly strong, to protect his precious person in such a way," Haku commented as he rose. "He is a shinobi that truly deserves respect." He finished, staring at the body of the Uchiha in his clansmen's arms. "Is this the first time you have lost a close friend? This is… the way of the shinobi!" Haku exclaimed as he prepared to send another hail of senbon and end the fight, stepping back into the mirrors.

"Shut up…" Naruto exclaimed quietly, his body exuding extreme killing intent as he rose slowly, his arms still cradling the dead Uchiha. _'I hated you too_', he thought quietly. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, burning pain in his eyes, and began to scream in rage.

* * *

Kakashi, Zabuza, Sakura and Tazuna's attention turned in the direction of the ice dome as an inhuman scream tore through the previous quiet, and a heavy killing intent leaked into the area. Sakura took a step backwards whilst refraining from soiling herself and Tazuna fell to the ground, quaking in fear as the intent skyrocketed. Kakashi and Zabuza began to sweat and gaze in the direction of the battle between their respective students.

'_What is this?'_ Zabuza thought, having flashbacks to the time he attempted to kill the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, the Sanbi jinchūriki. _'Wait… no, surely not… that child cannot be…'_

Kakashi, meanwhile was panicking. If this was what he thought it was… no, there was no doubt about it. The seal was either weakening… or it had broken completely.

'_What could have cause such a reaction from Naruto?'_ he wondered, as both he and Zabuza raced to the Ice Dome.

* * *

Within the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, the Kyūbi opened its eyes after taking a month-long nap, chuckling darkly as it felt an increase in the amount of chakra its host was drawing from the seal. It had been watching over the last few years as its host had absorbed its chakra from the seal the brat's father had placed before his death. Honestly, the gaki was pathetic, and now the bijū could finally act on its plan to not only gain its host's favour, but also to up the host's power, and come one step closer to escaping this damned seal… after all, what it was about to do could damage to seal nigh-irreparably, and without the key to the seal, the gaki couldn't do anything about it. Even then, making amendments to Uzumaki Seals was finicky business, best left to the experts, the Uzumaki themselves.

In the meantime, as much as he hated to admit it, the ningen was effectively his representation in the world, meaning that the kit had to seem the part. After all, to the 'shinobi' of the Elemental Nations, the jinchūriki was the incarnation of the beast in human form – and the Kyūbi would be damned if this _ningen_ made it look _weak_.

Sending a surge of chakra throughout the boy's body after collecting it from where it had lain before – attached to his very being like a disgusting stain that it couldn't quite purge, until now – the Kyūbi smirked slightly. Oh, sure, it was possible that the surge may do irreparable damage to the host body, but then the ningen of that village would simply extract him and place him inside another vessel, allowing the whole process to begin again. And the Kyūbi had nothing, if not _time_. Although he doubted any lasting harm would eventuate – after all, the boy _was_ a distant descendant of _him_, not that the gaki could ever compare.

As the strongest bijū completed sending the surge of chakra, it suddenly felt a familiar type of chakra, one that left a certain identifying 'footprint' that the Kyūbi hadn't felt for twelve years… Its eyes widened significantly when it became aware of events outside the seal once more, and it realised just how much of a mistake it may have made.

'_**This is not good,'**_ the bijū mused.

* * *

The fake-oinin watched in horror as the blond's head rose to show the spinning Sharingan in his eyes, which slowly morphed into a different from of Sharingan. Each tomoe – '_Now fully matured,'_ he idly noted – extended in opposite directions, starting at a sharp point that originated from the centre of the eye – the pupil of which had remained black – and extended outwards in curves of black, each forming a sort of 'brace', of which there were three placed at equal intervals around the eye. **(2)**

Suddenly, the boy's body became awash in incredibly foul chakra, bubbling red and leaking ill-intent. Then, just as suddenly, the chakra receded, and countless spear-points emerged all along the boy's upper body, pointing in all directions around him. _'What on earth…?'_ Haku thought, stunned, before his thoughts were silenced forever as the spear points all shot forward on chains, embedding themselves in anything around the blond, and impaling themselves throughout multiple points in Haku's body.

As the mirrors shattered and the chakra chains receded, Naruto gazed out on the mist with red-and-black eyes before slumping forward into unconsciousness.

* * *

**AN: **

**Okay, for starters, no, Sasuke is not actually dead. And he didn't get impaled on the chakra-chains, either. His relationship with Naruto will change drastically as time goes on, and you'll get your first glimpse of the new dynamics in the next chapter or so. Overall, it's going to be a pretty close, brotherly kind of relationship between them. Whether Sasuke defects is still up in the air, but I'm leaning towards no right now.**

**If you're wondering what the Ky****ū****bi did exactly, that will be revealed next chapter, alongside the conclusion/wrapping-up of the Wave Arc. Regardless, you may have found a few hints in what was described about it this chapter.**

**(1) The longer version of the name for ANBU Black Ops.**

**(2) Naruto's Mangeky****ō**** is effectively a well-detailed, curvier version of the brace symbol on your keyboard, with three of such symbols interspaced around the iris. It's a black-on-red design, unlike Sasuke's. There's a link on my profile.**

**_Shakuton_: translates to _Scorch-Release_.**

**_Nukenin_: translates to _missing-nin_.**

**_Hyōton_: translates to _Ice-Release_.  
**

**_Oinin_: translates to _hunter-nin_.**

**__****Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai**: translates to _Special Assassination and Tactical Squad_, also known as _ANBU_.  


**_ANBU_: translates to _Dark Side_.**


	2. Fallout

**INHERITANCE, a Naruto fanfiction**

**AU. The others, the ones before; they were better. At least, he thought so. The host is the representation of the beast inside, or at least, that's how he saw it. He would NOT have a weak host. If that meant taking matters into his own hands? So be it. Starts at the end of the Wave Arc. Shakuton!Mangeky****ō****!F****ū****injutsu!Chakra-Chains!Naru. NaruIno.**

**Author's Note:**

**HOLY CRAP. I honestly didn't expect to get such an amazing reaction. Not even three days in and I've already gotten more reviews/follows than I could have possibly imagined. I'm already on the verge of having 900 visitors! Thank you so much! :D**

**For those who don't know, this is the first fanfiction I've posted on, so please bear with me. Regardless, I do have several different plots written out in Word Documents sitting in my computer right now. Some Yaoi, some het, some NaruHarem, some Dark!Naru… yeah, I have an incredibly overactive imagination, fair warning.  
**

**Judging by reviews, this looks like it will stay a strictly NaruIno fanfiction, but since they're still pretty young, there's still time to decide on the pairing. As for the Harem fans, worry not! I do have one idea of a NaruHarem that'll work well at the moment, should I choose to write it. We'll see.**

**For those wondering as to how Naruto got the Sharingan genes, I can assure you that it's definitely in his ancestry. _Where_, precisely, in his ancestry, is yet to be revealed. However, you should know that Ky****ū**bi's machinations are the 'divergent point' from where this story starts to differ from Canon. The idea behind this story is that it _could_ have happened if a single event had panned out differently, or if a decision had reached a different conclusion.  


**I don't have an update schedule for this story outside of 'When the next Chapter is written', but I assure you all I will warn you if I happen to be taking some time to prepare the next chapter or anything like that.**

**This is an entirely supporting-character-centric chapter, and you'll find out why within. Naruto'll be back next chapter, but even then he'll be out of commission for a bit. I need to build up what's happening to him at the moment, and I feel that the way I intend to go about this is the best method possible. Have no fear, however – Naruto will be back in the saddle as the main character in time for the Ch****ū****nin exams.**

**Disclaimer: (I really should have done this sooner…) I own nothing. Not Naruto, certainly. If I did own Naruto, he would have gotten more intelligent sooner, and wouldn't even give **_**'Sakura-chan'**_** a second glance. Damn pinkette.**

**Yeah, I hate Sakura. As it stands, she isn't getting bashed in this fanfiction. I still don't like her though.**

* * *

Hatake Kakashi graduated the Konoha Ninja Academy at the age of 5, and was promoted to the rank of Chūnin at age 6. He was later demoted – a blight on his record that he would never admit to, even in the face of death – and was re-promoted after spending some time under the command of Namikaze Minato. He made jōnin at age 13, ANBU at age 15, and ANBU Captain not long after that. He'd like to say that he'd become impervious to shock, confusion, and other such frivolous emotions, due to the harsh life he had lived as one of Konohagakure's Elite.

However, as it stood, he could positively say he was totally, completely, utterly flabbergasted.

And he would never admit that aloud. Ever.

When he had sensed the sudden and dramatic increase in killing intent and chakra, he had immediately feared the worst; after all, Minato-sensei taught that it is best to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. As it stood, he immediately recalled the last time he had felt this particular chakra, on that night twelve years ago when he lost his last two precious people – _'Kushina-sama, Minato-sensei'_ his mind whispered forlornly – and immediately prepared to dash in, extract Sasuke, and high-tail it out of there, mission be damned.

But then, as he and Zabuza had appeared outside the Makyō Hyōshō (Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals), both peered inside to see the form of Naruto standing over Sasuke's limp form as spear-heads emerged from the boy's body. In an instant, the sound of rattling chains and shattering mirrors announced to the world the death of the last of the Yuki Clan. Death by impalement on flying chains made out of chakra, to boot.

How embarrassing.

Kakashi, for his part, had survived the sudden bombardment of sharp, pointy implements courtesy of his blond-haired student due to instinct and hard-trained reflex alone. His mind was reeling when he saw the golden Uzumaki no Chakura Kusari (Chakra Chains of the Uzumaki) extending outwards from where the dome of ice once stood, and he recalled the last time he saw those chains. Kushina-sama had said that they were a rare bloodline of the Uzumaki, awoken only once every few generations, and to see two wielders in a single lifetime was unheard of. Kakashi's mind was abuzz with questions.

Had the bloodline been adapting, and now it's available to each generation? Was it something in Minato-sensei's genes that brought out the latent skill? Did Kushina-sama only unlock the ability due to her amazing chakra? Was it just a random fluke of genetics?

Or, perhaps the scariest thought of all, but also the most confusing;

'_Is this the work of the Ky__ū__bi?'_

* * *

Momochi Zabuza was afraid of very few things – a consequence of the life he'd lived as the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist'. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of things he was truly scared of, and even then, he'd have the thumb to spare.

_Yagura_. The kid was a psycho. And regardless of what the guy said, Zabuza would, to his dying day, insist that the little bastard was still a teenager.

_Bij__ū_. Pretty reasonable, given the fact that he'd fought Yagura. Besides that, he'd witnessed the carnage that jinchūriki and their bijū were capable of unleashing on the battlefield. It made ordinary shinobi look like children. Children playing at the games of Kami.

_Okaa-san_. Zabuza gave an involuntary shudder every time he thought of _that_ woman. The sheer _pride_ in her eyes after he slaughtered that entire graduating class still haunted him in his nightmares. She was… well, its best just said that she ranked above the bijū for a _very_ good reason.

At least he knew where he got it from…

Last, but not least, was the most terrifying individual he had ever met, a woman whose very name struck fear in the hearts of Kiri-nin to this very day. Some parents even told stories to their children, of how the devil woman who moved with unequalled stealth and grace would come into their homes and teach them the meaning of fear and pain if they didn't do what they were told, and eat all their vegetables.

_Uzumaki Kushina_. Hailed as Hi Kusari no Kushina **(1)**. The very _embodiment_ of the Three Things that made an Uzumaki deadly – Swords, Stealth, and Seals.

He'd met her once. On the battlefield. Of course, he was just a young boy back then, barely beginning his teenage years and still not quite on the level of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū. Not that their power did _them_ any good in the long run, since they lost two members to that woman alone during the war. She wasn't overly skilled in the ninjutsu department, but her kenjutsu and stealth were nigh-on unmatched. She personally led the battlefront between Kirigakure and Konohagakure during the Third Shinobi World War, much like how her rumoured lover, the man who went on to become Konoha's Yondaime Hokage, led the charge against Iwa. They were a match made in heaven for Konoha, and it was widely acknowledged that, if the two had ever raised an heir together, the child may very well have been the next Shinobi no Kami.

He remembered the battle that made history in Kirigakure, the day that a woman with blood-red hair led the forces of Konoha to battle, in a final conflict that signified the end of Kirigakure no Sato's involvement in the Third Shinobi World War. The battle turned up-scale when the Rokubi jinchūriki was ordered to release the bijū she contained on the Konoha shinobi, after which Uzumaki Kushina restrained the bijū with her chains made of solid chakra. The woman was known for her tough-mindedness on the battlefield, and her unshakable resolve to defend her home. Factor in the knowledge that Kirigakure played no small part in the decimation of her clan's home village and, well…

It was a massacre. No other words could describe it. Zabuza himself only survived by 'playing dead', and later claiming he had been knocked unconscious (or risk incurring the Mizukage's wrath).

Due to their loss of the Sanbi in an earlier incident not months before, the Sandaime Mizukage was left with no other option than to offer Konohagakure their unconditional surrender, and cessation from the War itself. In exchange, they got the two swords of the Swordsmen that they'd lost back, and they got to keep their bijū.

Oh _joy_.

So, when he saw the Uzumaki no Chakura Kusari, his primal instinct to survive outweighed anything else. Jumping back at the last moment to dodge and inwardly worrying over what happened to Haku, he released his Kirigakure no jutsu. The mist cleared, and Zabuza saw the slumped form of the blond Kushina-spawn – _'for what else could he be, with that infernal grin and chakra?!'_ his mind demanded – next to the gaki's downed Uchiha teammate. Across from them was the bloody mangled form of-

Zabuza's breath hitched.

'_Haku.'_

As Zabuza made his way to the downed form that was once his apprentice, Kakashi's pinkette genin screamed.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was sheltered, really. She had lived a quiet childhood, with no major familial deaths, no horrible fights with her parents, and no run-ins with bullies after she'd managed to get into the academy 'in-crowd'. Her mother was a civilian, and her father retired from the shinobi trade after realising he may very well become a career genin, at the rate he was going. She honestly wasn't overly bothered with a true career as kunioichi, much preferring the civilian lifestyle. But alas, she simply _had_ to remain a kunioichi of Konohagakure, or she'd lose her shot at Sasuke-kun.

And she couldn't have that. No. Not at all.

She knew that she should have taken her training more seriously. Done more than fixate on her appearance and attractiveness, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Every time her parents suggested that she go and train, or eat more, or _something_ healthier, she had wholly refused. And it had really come back to bite her in the ass.

When she heard the rustling of chains and what suspiciously sounded like shattering glass, she was confused. What in the name of _hell_ had done that? Then, she noticed that the mist was clearing slowly and she immediately tried to see the weird dome of Ice that the strange guy with the mask had made earlier. The one that Naruto had run inside without a second thought. _'Tch, moron,'_ she thought. _**'Cha, that fool is going to get in Sasuke-kun's way, Shannaro!'**_ her inner-self raged.

When Sakura saw that the Ice-thingie was gone, she was about to give a shout of joy, realising her love had vanquished the fake-oinin. Alas, that was not to be.

No, instead, she saw the crumpled, bloody forms of Zabuza's subordinate, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasu-

Sakura screamed.

'_No! That's not- that's not… THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!'_ her mind screamed, refusing to believe the sight before her was real. _'It's just a Genjutsu! That's it! Just a… just a…'_

Strangely, her inner-self was suddenly conspicuously silent.

Sakura's mind tracked back to the Academy lessons on Genjutsu. Raising her hands into a seal and not even noticing the forms of both Zabuza and Kakashi walking over to their respective students, she immediately expelled chakra from her body and shouted "KAI!" at the top of her lungs. Mentally preparing herself to see the actual goings-on beneath the illusion, Sakura was immediately confused as to why the Genjutsu had not yet lifted.

"But… but…" she stuttered aloud, unsure how to deal with this, until her mind flashed back to the lessons on Genjutsu once again, and she realised where she'd gone wrong. _'High-level Genjutsu sometimes require other stimuli to be introduced, in order for escape to be possible.'_ She remembered that lesson, and remembered what to do, extracting a kunai from her pouch and immediately stabbing it into her right index finger.

Nothing happened.

Trying again on her wrist, Sakura drove the kunai across the previously-delicate skin, trying desperately to prove that everything she was seeing was a Genjutsu. _'It's not real. It's not real. It's not real!'_ her mind repeated, a mantra that she would happily continue to her dying day. She didn't even notice Kakashi's sigh of relief as he detected a weak pulse in both Sasuke and Naruto's forms, or the flicker of grief that alit in Zabuza's eyes. She was too busy trying to prove that this wasn't real.

By the time she'd made several cuts across her wrist with a kunai in a vain effort to disprove reality, she was becoming truly desperate. When she felt a hand wrap around the wrist on her kunai-wielding hand, she looked up into the saddened eyes of the bridge-builder, their client, Tazuna.

The emotions dancing in his eyes – sadness, pity, sympathy, _empathy_ – were too much for the girl to handle, and she finally came to realise that everything she was seeing was _not_ a Genjutsu.

Genjutsu could not possibly manage to reflect the emotions in those eyes so well.

And then, with that realisation, came horror. And she screamed again, louder, and maybe, just maybe, there were some tears mixed in for _both_ of her teammates.

It was at that moment, in her grief, that Haruno Sakura stared at her bloodied wrist as she screamed, and swore to herself that she would get stronger to avenge her teammates, and never fail anyone else so significantly ever again.

* * *

When Gatō and his goons approached the bridge, they had expected any one of a number of different scenarios. Best case scenario? The ninja had all killed each other off in a single, bloody conflict and the bridge builder, who they honestly forgot the name of, was caught in the crossfire. Worst case scenario? The ninja were all still alive, still fighting and the bridge builder was unharmed. If that was so, all they had to do was run in, axes swinging, and slaughter the fools while they were unawares. Honestly, how strong could a ninja be, really?

The one thing that none of their number had expected, was to see a bunch of slumped over, bloodied forms that might have been kids, and the bridge builder alongside both adult shinobi staring at afore-mentioned bodies as some small girl with pink hair screamed her head off like a banshee.

This also happens to be _exactly_ what was actually going on at the bridge.

"Oi, we got ourselves a screamer lads!" one of the more depraved individuals amongst the thugs called, and his fellow-perverts either wolf-whistled or grinned lecherously. Their actions were halted, whenever, when Gatō held up a hand.

As it stood, however, this proved to be more than enough sound to gain the attention of the shinobi present, and Gatō stepped forward to speak. Identifying the most bloodied of the three forms as that of Zabuza's subordinate, Gatō grinned and went to kick the corpse.

His leg was caught by Zabuza mid-swing.

As the slimy businessman lost his footing and fell backwards, Zabuza spoke. "What, pray tell, are you doing here, _Gat__ō_?" the voice of the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' sounded sickly-sweet – or at least as sickly-sweet as the man _could_ sound, given the fact he normally spoke in a rather hoarse, grating drawl – as he applied more pressure to the ankle of his employer, thoroughly enjoying the manner in which the sleazy little man swallowed nervously.

"Hey! Unhand the boss!" one of the more stupid in the encroaching crowd of morons – for really, _who_ would take on a shinobi with civilian-level skills? – demanded as he broke into a run towards Zabuza. Before he even got close to Zabuza, he met his end via kunai to the brain, courtesy of one Hatake Kakashi.

"Truce?" the Copy-Ninja requested of his companion, silently hoping that the man had put two and two together, _looked underneath the underneath_, and seen that he was about to be double-crossed. Just as Zabuza was about to reply, a particularly over-muscled thug interrupted them.

"This isn't any of your business, Konoha-nin!" the brutish man exclaimed, not even fazed in the slightest by the death of his 'comrade'. Kakashi doubted any of these fools even knew the dead one's name. "We're just gonna double-cross the guy and kill 'im! You can take your precious kiddies and _sod-off_!" Evidently, this goon was equally as idiotic – if not more so, in fact – as the one whose body still lay between Gatō's cronies and the two shinobi.

"SHUT UP YOU FOOLS!" Gatō demanded, sweating profusely and staring up at the visage of the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' with no small amount of fear. Zabuza put an end to that, quickly and efficiently inserting his kunai through the smaller man's jaw and pushing it upwards. As the taller ninja once again stood fully upright, Kubikiribōchō resting on his shoulder as he glared at the thugs, he released much of his remaining chakra from his body in waves, the visage of a demon appearing behind him, giving more credence to his moniker. As the thugs each took a step back in fear, Kakashi turned an eye-smile on them.

"I suppose it would be too much to ask you to simply leave?" the silver-haired nin inquired, his form appearing just as terrifying as his companion's to the cronies of the – now deceased – Gatō. When none of the thugs was forthcoming with a response, Kakashi reached his own conclusion. "Ah, that's a shame… shall we get to it, then, Zabuza-san?"

The only man to fight the Yondaime Mizukage and live turned to face the Copy Ninja of Konoha, and grinned.

And then, there was a massacre.

* * *

By the time the inspired masses of Nami no Kuni arrived at the Battle of the Bridge, there was little else to do other than sit back and watch as Momochi Zabuza, known for some time as their tormentor's 'hired-hand', and the instructor of the genin squad that Konoha sent, Hatake Kakashi, used Katon ninjutsu to burn the piled-up bodies of the men who had terrorised them daily. Not much of a distance away lay the body of their self-proclaimed 'Lord and Master', Gatō.

After the vast majority took their time to thoroughly kick the proverbial shit out of the man's bloodied corpse, they went about assisting the Konoha shinobi in recovering their injured, and helping Tazuna finish construction on the Bridge. Amongst the sudden excitement of finally being free of the reign of the Gatō Corporation, nobody noticed the so-called 'Demon of the Mist' escaping to a hill in the nearby area and burying his long-time companion, Yuki Haku.

'_Ironic, in some ways,'_ the man mused as he created a makeshift marker for the grave with a few loose sticks, tying them together with some ninja-wire he had handy and securing the hastily-constructed cross **(2)** amongst a collection of stones above the grave. _'Those chains ended the lives of dozens of Haku's clansmen during the war, and now… they finally finished the job.'_ Zabuza continued grimly, although he knew this most likely wasn't an occurrence of the borderline hate-crime instigated by Uzumaki Kushina throughout the Third Shinobi World War. The Yuki were well-known to have played a large role in the destruction of Uzushiogakure no Sato, and the Sandaime Mizukage himself – the man who orchestrated Kiri's involvement in the attack on the Uzumaki Clan's home village – was a member of the ill-fated clan. Some theorised that the assassination of the Sandaime was actually carried out by Kushina herself, while others believe it was Yagura's doing. Regardless, dozens of Haku's kinsmen had been killed during the Third Shinobi World War, and some after that, when the elements of the village that blamed the Sandaime for Kiri's humiliating losses during the war demanded vengeance.

Zabuza used a simple Doton ninjutsu – the only one in his arsenal, actually – to excavate a trench surrounding the grave-site, and used a Suiton ninjutsu to fill it with water. At that moment, it began to snow lightly, slowly covering the grave of the last living Yuki, reminding Zabuza of the way his apprentice would always brighten up when snow fell whilst they were on their travels.

* * *

**Flashback**

Zabuza sat at the campfire, tending to the flames and keeping them alight as his student Yuki Haku read a medical scroll across from him. Abruptly, snow began to fall around them and Haku instantly became captivated, watching as the snow fell around him, stretching his tongue out to catch falling snow flakes on it, and giggling lightly as it melted.

"_Mother…"_ the young Hyōton user whispered softly, a slight smile alighting his effeminate features as he was engulfed in the sweet embrace of nostalgia.

If he was any less of a ninja, he mightn't have heard the soft whisper coming from his young student. As it stood, Zabuza was trained in the art of Silent Killing, and as such, advanced hearing was one of his specialties.

"Hn." Zabuza grunted gruffly, although the underlying current of curiosity was there for those who knew the man well enough to hear it. Fortunately, Haku was one of these people.

"My mother," Haku began, smiling softly at the thought of her, "was the side I got my abilities from. Its times likes these – when it's snowing – that I feel as if, even from beyond the grave, she is watching me, and protecting me in all my endeavours."

Zabuza rolled his eyes and grunted again, but did not comment further. Regardless, he found the boy's beliefs to be ridiculous – shinobi didn't need such useless attachments. A shinobi should just be something that is pointed in the direction of whatever needed killing and/or maiming. He had trained Haku to be precisely what a shinobi was meant to be – a weapon. And, so far, he was turning out to be a fine one.

**Flashback - End**

* * *

'_Haku, is this you? Are you weeping from the heavens?'_

As Zabuza gazed on at the grave of the closest thing he would probably ever have to a son, he reminisced on the time he and his student had spent together. Even despite the hard life he had lived as 'Demon of the Mist', the last survivor of the Yuki clan had somehow managed to worm his way into Zabuza's hardened heart. Not to the point where the swordsman would ever admit it to his young protégé, but enough to the point that it counted.

Zabuza couldn't help but blame Yagura for his role in the animosity towards Haku and his kin, remembering the stories his student had told him of how the boy's own father had bought into the jinchūriki's propaganda and gathered a mob to murder his own wife and son. _'Despicable,'_ the man internally growled. _'To betray your own family all because of a mad-man's ravings… I can understand why the Kaguya rebelled, not that it helped.'_

Haku had tentatively asked, once upon a time, if Zabuza had ever thought about aiding the bloodline-rebels in their bid for freedom from Yagura's violent regime. Zabuza had immediately seen the hidden question within the boy's inquiry – _'Can we help the rebels?'_ – and had immediately denied the boy such an illusion. As far as Zabuza was concerned, anyone short of S-Class who planned to take on Yagura was a dead man walking.

In that moment, Zabuza's came to a decision. Turning away from the grave, Zabuza made his way to commandeer one of the many boats docked around the island nation. In order to enhance the monopoly he already had in Nami, Gatō had ordered all vessels not under the control of his Corporation to be… _discreetly_ decommissioned. Regardless, Zabuza was sure there was at least _one_ craft that was still operational which he could commandeer. From there, he could travel back to Mizu no Kuni.

After all, he had a bloodline rebellion to join. If that meant he was a dead man walking?

So be it.

* * *

It was terribly amusing, Kakashi would admit. Where, in that past, his female genin – because really, to call her a _kunioichi_ would be a disgrace to the profession – had always doted on Sasuke and done more harm to her other teammate than good, now she seemed torn between who she should be spending more time looking after. Although that may just have been due to Naruto's condition…

Kakashi remembered the shock he'd gotten when the first thing Sasuke did, upon awakening, was to demand where Naruto was, and his current condition – after questioning how they were alive, of course. Kakashi had managed to calm his student down long enough for the raven-haired boy to convey why he was so suddenly interested in one of his teammates, and the answer confused him to no end.

Sharingan. Naruto had awoken the Sharingan. The question of _how_ was fairly prevalent in his mind – after all, there was no history of the Uchiha Clan's dōjutsu in either of the boy's parents, as far as he knew. To be fair, Minato _had_ lost his parents as an infant - if Kakashi recalled correctly, they and the attending hospital staff had been murdered by a member of the Military Police, whom Minato's parents had prevented from attacking their newborn son with their lives. Minato had explicitly mentioned that any knowledge of who his parents were had been kept from the public, out of concern that the man who killed the blond's parents had done so under duress. Kakashi remembered seeing pictures of Minato's mother Kazue, and her hair was a deep shade of purple, with black eyes, whereas Satoru had the same spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes as his son. Minato rarely spoke of Satoru or Kazue, save for vague allusions to the fact that his mother had been distant from her family, and her parents had died a few years after her birth while on a mission. The case was similar for Satoru, and Kakashi vaguely considered the fact that the two may have been murdered for eloping, and then producing an out-of-clan child. '_How __cliché_,' Kakashi inwardly mused.

Certainly Kazue was a candidate for Uchiha genes, but he couldn't be certain. As far as Kakashi knew, his sensei had never awoken the Sharingan, so that bore no answers as to the question of how Naruto awoke the – as far as he knew – Uchiha-exclusive dōjutsu. Perhaps it could have skipped a generation or two...?

Sasuke was of no help, having even less of an idea than his sensei did, although the boy did say that he would do whatever he could to determine where the Uchiha Clan emerged within his teammate's ancestry. It had to be somewhere close, because the notorious potency of the Uzumaki Clan's chakra was well known to overwhelm the presence of kekkei genkai from other clans. The Uzumaki Clan's special chakra was effectively a bloodline of its own, and normally it prevented the emergence of other bloodlines within clan members. Some few examples to the contrary were present - Kushina being one of them - but regardless, the emergence of _two_ of the three kekkei genkai known to man that could suppress a bijū in a single boy, _at the same time_, was unheard of. It was also terrifying. Kakashi remembered hearing stories of the attempts the other hidden villages - especially Kumo, who were bloodline _fanatics_ - had made to abduct Kushina. She'd ended up being under strict, 24-hour ANBU guard just to ensure that she lived a somewhat 'normal' life until she reached Jōnin rank. Konoha's Copy Ninja didn't want that for his student.

Kakashi knew Naruto had definitely not had an Uchiha mother – he had Kushina's last name, face, and personality, and most importantly, the red-haired woman had been just as dedicated to Minato as the blond had been to her. The possibility of any extra-marital affair was non-existent, since Naruto was effectively a younger Kushina in a younger Minato's body. Plus, the emergence of the Uzumaki no Chakura Kusari definitely provided solid proof as to his relation to Kushina. Sadly, none of Kakashi's questions could be answered here, and the one-eyed ninja could only hope that the Sandaime or the Go-Ikenban had some hint as to how the Uchiha Clan's dōjutsu awoke in – of _all_ people – the Kyūbi's jinchūriki.

As it stood, this was not Kakashi's main priority right now. Naruto had developed a high-fever and his body was convulsing at irregular intervals, and as a result of whatever had happened to awaken the Uzumaki no Chakura Kusari, Naruto seemed to have slipped into a coma. **(3)** Kakashi wasn't, by any means a chakra sensor, but he could definitely feel the wild fluctuations that Naruto's chakra network was experiencing. And, if the levels of chakra the boy was expelling – whilst unconscious – happened to be any indication, the young jinchūriki's reserves were _growing_. At quite the astonishing rate, actually. Faster than could possibly be healthy.

As such, Kakashi was off to speak to their client, Tazuna.

The silver-haired ninja trekked to the bridge, noticing the general improvement in the moods of the villagers; there appeared to even be a party going on, and all funds left within the Gatō Corporation headquarters on Nami no Kuni had already been appropriated by the townsfolk. Finding Tazuna directing his workers – far more than he had employed previously, Kakashi noted – in the correct manner to construct the bridge, Konoha's Copy Ninja approached the aged drunka- err, bridge-builder.

"Ah, Kakashi-san!" Tazuna exclaimed heartily, noticing the approaching form of the one-eyed ninja. _'Only because he wanted me to,'_ the civilian inwardly acknowledged. If anything, the last few weeks had taught him to be wary of shinobi; even blond ones wearing bright, 'kill-me-orange' jumpsuits.

"Tazuna-san," Kakashi greeted calmly, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to ask. It was generally frowned upon, and when he was younger Kakashi would have never even _considered_ doing this, but he swore that he would preserve his sensei's legacy. He led the aged man away slightly from listening ears before turning a serious gaze on his team's client. "I'm afraid we may need to leave early. As it stands, Sasuke is injured and Naruto has fallen into a coma. Both of them, Naruto especially, will need immediate medical treatment – treatment that they can't get here."

Tazuna looked stricken for a moment, but then nodded understandingly. "It's the least I can do for all you've done – removing the man who was lording himself over us wasn't exactly in the mission briefing, was it?" the aged bridge-builder chuckled lightly, inwardly berating himself over reminding the shinobi that he'd lied to get them there.

"Maa maa, that's alright. I'll admit the opportunity to save a nation whilst on a C-Rank mission doesn't present itself often, and we're glad to help," Kakashi replied easily with his patented Eye-Smile©. "Just make sure that you forward the difference between a C-Rank and an A-Rank mission pay to Konoha's Financing Department, ne?"

Tazuna nodded and thanked the man again. After that, the two departed for their separate destinations: Kakashi for the home of the bridge-builder and his family to gather his genin, and Tazuna towards one of the more inexperienced labourers who was about to botch something up _spectacularly_.

* * *

_He_ had been ignored.

In fact, that was the very reason _he_ existed. To be ignored, that is. And it hurt. Oh _Kami_, did it hurt.

_He_ knew the original didn't like _him_. Wouldn't like _him_, and in fact the other didn't even know _he_ existed. _He_ was the _real_ **them**! The other was an imposter, just a weak mask that didn't show what was hidden deep inside.

_He_ was born to protect them both, and to protect the world. To protect everything from _himself_. The irony was not lost on _him_; that was for sure.

But, even though _he_ resented it – which _he_ could do nothing but, considering _he_ was a being made of such vile, dark emotions, and nothing more – _he_ did _his_ appointed job dutifully, as had been instructed to _him_. Not willingly, of course. No, never willingly. But damn, **their** stubbornness gave birth to _him_, to hide all that negativity away!

Oh, and there was _so much_ negativity! Leading the life that **they** had done, the life that _he_ protected **them** from! _He_ had done all the hard work, guiding **them** through the tough times.

_He_ wanted nothing more than to talk to the other. For his existence to be acknowledged – _'Ironic,'_ he idly mused – but the other just would not give into the darkness, not even for a moment! _'Why won't you accept me?'_ his mind demanded, _'Acknowledge the demon of your own creation!'_

_He_ knew the one within favoured _him_, rather than the original. Maybe the creature empathised with _him_? To be sequestered away, against your will, to protect the world? Who knew, really?

Then, _he_ felt it. An opening in the defences that were constructed so painstakingly by the other for so long, until finally, at last, they gave birth to _him_. The other was breaking. His mind, riddled with negative emotions, was allowing _him_ access for the first time in _so long_. And _he_ yearned for the feel of the real world.

_He_ would force the other to acknowledge _him_. Of course, _he_ ran the risk of the other oppressing _him_ again, and forgetting _him_, but _he_ doubted it. The other would be haunted. Maybe the other would accept him. Maybe, finally, they could become one, once again, and protect each other as the same individual, forever.

As was _his_ duty, he remembered. To _protect_ the original. And he would always do so. Always. Without fail. Or his name wasn't-

Aha! The opening _he_ felt. There it was.

And in that moment, when the original's mind was already so broken and confused, his body so damaged due to the machinations of the one within, did both other and _him_ combine.

* * *

Within the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, the Kyūbi chuckled darkly, and grinned. Not a friendly grin, but rather, a self-satisfied one, promising pain and vengeance.

**_'At least one thing went completely according to plan.'_**

* * *

**AN:**

**Yep, I don't quite know what was going on in my brain when I wrote that last part, but let's just say that that was part of the reason Naruto was how he was in Canon. If you can guess what that whole bit at the end was about, I will give you a cyber-cookie! *Throws cyber-cookie at your computer, which your firewall atomises on impact***

**Well… never mind, then.**

**Yes, Zabuza lived, and Haku died. This is actually not done often in fanfictions, so I decided it was something I'd like to give a go. Will this be the last we see of Zabuza?**

**(1) I'm not overly good with translations, actually, but I believe this means 'Kushina of the Fire Chains' – that is definitely some foreshadowing, right there. ;)**

**Also, if anyone can link me to a better translation program (that works for English to R****ō****maji) than Google Translate and the Naruto wiki, that would be much appreciated!**

**Also, _Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū_ translates to _Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist_.**

_**Shinobi no**_** Kami**** translates to _God of Shinobi_.**

**(2) I honestly never understood that. Maybe I'm just culturally ignorant. Either that, or Kishimoto is a Christian. *shrugs***

**(3) Fair warning, I am not an expert on matters of the brain/body, and as such, some of my assessments/comments may be factually inaccurate. **

**On the matter of the whole 'Kushina is an S-Rank ninja' thing, I know this has been done before, and not everyone likes it. But I feel that with the skill set she had (i.e. chains made of solid chakra and her special chakra in general that could restrain the Ky****ū****bi, and the f****ū****injutsu knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan, coupled with the fact that since she herself stated that she was rubbish at ninjutsu, meaning she'd need to find another skill to fall back on in case of emergency, such as swords), it is unrealistic to think that she wouldn't be highly trained in her areas of expertise. Remember, Kushina was a shinobi during a time of war – she needs to be skilled, as both the village's jinch****ū****riki, and anti-jinch****ū****riki. Hell, she'd need to be damn powerful just to protect herself from any further abduction attempts, like the one from Kumo. So, I stand by my choice, and I hope you understand my reasoning.**

**SPOILER: Manga 663**

**I wonder how Karin got that ability... the first thing that comes to mind is 'genetic clone', essentially making her Naruto's aunt/sister. Perhaps she's a cousin? I always wanted Naruto to have Chakra Chains, ever since I saw them, and they're not done in fanfictions enough which was one of the reasons why I decided to put them into this story. Overall, I was pleased with this chapter, minus the ridiculously stupid looking ****jinch****ū****riki** form that we saw. What... the hell... Kishi...

**SPOILER OVER**

'**Till next time! Please review if you have the time – I could do with the feedback!**


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